When services are used via mobile phones or individual-use personal computers, there are occasions in which various kinds of information such as name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, or age are required to be input. However, once such information have been given to a service provided, it is difficult to control who uses the information for what purpose, or how it may be used.
For example, suppose that a user purchases a book via internet shopping. At the online site of Bookshop A, the user inputs his/her personal information. However, such information is sent to shipping company B and/or payment and settlement company C, and the user cannot control what information is passed to what company. Also, if the user did not input contact information in order to avoid receiving direct mail from Bookshop A, shipping company B cannot know the contact information (such as e-mail address) of the user even for the purpose of confirming whether the user is at home. Moreover, even if the user wants to order a book that is not available at Bookshop A from Bookshop B and the personal information to be input and the disclosure policy of personal information are the same, the user has to input the same information to the online site of Bookshop B as well.
One method that manages personal information in a unified way and enables a single sign-on while maintaining concealing against a number of services in accordance with the policy of a user for disclosing personal information has been proposed (for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-260716).
This method includes a procedure that maintains concealing of personal information in a communication channel by sending the personal information encrypted with a public key of the service to which the personal information is provided. According to this method, the policy for personal information disclosure can be set by assigning the information to be disclosed for each service, and the disclosure of personal information in accordance with this policy is possible.
However, the prior art of personal information management has a problem wherein the user cannot confirm or control the addresses for distribution by himself/herself.
In addition, the prior art has a problem wherein, when a number of services cooperate with each other and there is a piece of personal information lacking during those services, an inquiry about the personal information of the user cannot be independently made from the service provider side.
Furthermore, the prior art has a problem wherein, even when providing similar personal information from the same terminal, the user has to specify or input the same information every time as long as it is for a different service.